[text][heur] Re: [Pharmwaste] Curing the problem of discarding
pills - Seattle, WA 2/1/07
Pete Pasterz
PAPasterz at cabarruscounty.us
Tue Feb 6 14:51:12 EST 2007
Landfill chemistry is indeed a great, under-studied issue. Not only is
there the issue of the pharmaceuticals in their present form, but what
chemical interactions might occur when they slowly interact with acids,
bases, ethers, esters and the other chemicals disposed in landfills, as
well as those formed by the anaerobic bacteria active in landfills.
USEPA acknowledges that all subtitle D MSW landfills WILL leak into
groundwater; probably after the 30-year post closure responsibility
period....for more information, Google Dr. G. Fred Lee or Peter
Anderson Madison WI.
________________________________
From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us
[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Stephen
Musson
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 1:23 PM
To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: [text][heur] Re: [Pharmwaste] Curing the problem of discarding
pills - Seattle,WA 2/1/07
I notice that this article points to dangers of medications in
landfills. However, in a modern lined landfill, I have not seen any
studies pointing to medication leaching from the landfill. A handful of
studies have detected some in groundwater near an old landfill which had
an identifiable source of a given pharm. Does anyone else have more
information than this?
With some states now telling people to use the trash instead of the
sink, I think we need to be wary of these blanket statements without
proof.
"DeBiasi,Deborah" <dldebiasi at deq.virginia.gov> wrote:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/301869_hcenter01.html
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/301869_hcenter01.html
Curing the problem of discarding pills
Thursday, February 1, 2007
By CHERIE BLACK
P-I REPORTER
At one time, pharmacies and physicians were OK with consumers
flushing
unwanted or expired medications down the toilet or throwing them
in the
garbage.
Now, we know better.
Evidence of the medications' harmful effects have been surfacing
in our
waterways, landfills and marine life. A nationwide study
released in
2002 by the United States Geological Survey showed trace levels
of
chemicals found in prescription drugs in 80 percent of the
streams
across the country.
Putting medicines in the garbage also can lead to accidental
contact by
children and animals. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
points to an increased risk of accidental poisoning from
unwanted or
expired medications sitting in medicine cabinets. Plus, the old
medicines still can end up in the soil through landfills.
So what to do?
"We see this all the time, patients come to us and say please
help us
figure this out," said Shirley Reitz, associate director for
clinical
pharmacy services at Group Health. "We needed a way to do this
without
flushing them down the toilet or putting them in the garbage
can," she
said.
As a result, a coalition of government and non-profit groups
throughout
the state, including Group Health, the Department of Ecology and
the
Washington State Board of Pharmacy, have developed a program to
offer a
better option -- the first program in Washington that collects
unwanted
pharmaceuticals and disposes of them safely.
The program is running in pharmacies at seven test sites
throughout the
state, including three in King County. Each has a large, blue,
highly
secure medical disposal unit in the customer waiting area where
consumers bring unwanted medications in the original containers
and drop
them in the box, Reitz said. The materials are then transported
to a
hazardous waste destruction site for environmentally safe
disposal.
The program is modeled after one in British Columbia,
established by
pharmaceutical companies in 1996, which lets consumers return
medication
at more than 90 percent of its pharmacies.
"This is a baby step toward that system -- that's the end game
and what
we're trying to build toward," said Sego Jackson, principal
planner with
Snohomish County's solid waste division. The county also is
participating in the statewide effort to have all pharmacies
offer
medicine disposal sites.
"This pilot is a win for health and safety and a win for the
environment," said Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon. "By
partnering with agencies like Group Health, we hope to
ultimately see
convenient and safe disposal sites for medications at pharmacies
across
the state."
Bartell Drugs also is involved in the program, and plans to
establish a
pilot site.
During the past two months, the test sites collected 45 5-gallon
buckets
of medications, Reitz said. The coalition plans to establish as
many as
25 permanent sites throughout the state, once finished working
out final
details of the program, including making sure there are enough
resources
at each site to handle the volume and finalizing the state
contract with
the hazardous waste plant incinerating the medication. In a
January
report by Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation, just
over half
of King County residents surveyed said medicine manufacturers
should be
responsible for funding a safe and convenient disposal solution.
Nearly
75 percent said they would properly dispose of medications if
they knew
of a convenient location. Eighty percent said they were likely
to return
their unused or expired medicines in a secure drop box set up at
a
pharmacy.
"When it comes to dangerous garbage, we know how to bury things
and burn
things," said Will Perry, health and environmental investigator
with
Public Health -- Seattle & King County. "I don't think there are
any
gross human public health concerns yet, but there is enough
reason for
potential environmental problems and we want to be paying
attention to
this."
Local hospitals also are taking steps to make sure unused
medications
don't end up in waterways and landfills. At the University of
Washington
Medical Center, medications are returned to the manufacturer for
credit
when possible. For narcotics, the medical center contracts a
reverse
distributor who logs the drugs, fills out the necessary Drug
Enforcement
Agency forms and has the drugs incinerated, said Shabir Somani,
the
medical center's pharmacy director.
Dr. Alison Lewis, a family physician for Group Health, said she
has
patients come in daily with bags full of pill bottles, many
expired, and
are confused about which ones they can still take.
"I frequently see young kids taking their parent's or
grandparent's
narcotics," she said. "It's an invitation for abuse if you don't
lock
medications up or throw them away." Patients should encourage
their
doctors and pharmacists to make a safe disposal system available
to them
so they don't flush or throw them away, Lewis said.
"There really is no other way right now."
DRUG DISPOSAL
What is safe to return:
Prescription and over-the-counter medication
Medication samples
Veterinary medications
Vitamins
Medicated ointments and lotions
Inhalers
Liquid medication in glass or leakproof containers
What can't be returned:
Needles
Thermometers
IV bags
Bloody or infectious waste
Personal-care products
Controlled substances
Hydrogen peroxide
Empty containers
Business waste
Where to take it
The Medication Take-Back program is available at these seven
pilot
Washington pharmacies, with more sites statewide scheduled to be
available soon.
Burien Medical Center Pharmacy
140 S.W. 146th St., Burien, 206-901-2405
Everett Medical Center Pharmacy
2930 Maple St., Everett, 425-261-1560
Olympia Medical Center Pharmacy
700 Lilly Road N.E., Olympia, 360-923-7600
Eastside Hospital and Specialty Center Pharmacy
2700 152nd Ave. N.E., Redmond, 425-883-5940
Renton Medical Center Pharmacy
275 Bronson Way N.E., Renton, 425-235-2855
Silverdale Medical Center Pharmacy
10452 Silverdale Way N.W., Silverdale, 360-307-7410
Riverfront Medical Center Pharmacy
322 W. North River Drive, Spokane, 509-324-6464
Learn more
For more information on how to properly dispose of medications
or other
health materials, call the state Department of Ecology at
800-RECYCLE
(800-732-9253).
Sources: Group Health Cooperative, Public Health -- Seattle &
King
County
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
P-I reporter Cherie Black can be reached at 206-448-8180 or
cherieblack at seattlepi.com.
(c) 1998-2007 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Deborah L. DeBiasi
Email: dldebiasi at deq.virginia.gov
WEB site address: www.deq.virginia.gov
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Water Permit Programs
Industrial Pretreatment/Toxics Management Program
Mail: P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA 23218 (NEW!)
Location: 629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219
PH: 804-698-4028
FAX: 804-698-4032
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